Om Birla elected Lok Sabha speaker for the second time
Om Birla, a three-time BJP MP, was elected Lok Sabha Speaker for the second time on Wednesday, defeating INDIA bloc’s candidate K Suresh by voice vote in a rare battle.
Om Birla smiled as he sat in the Speaker’s chair. The moment also featured Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju escorting Om Birla to the chair.
Before accompanying the new Speaker to his chair, PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi also exchanged smiles and shook hands.
Also read: Om Birla elected Lok Sabha speaker for the second time
PM Modi congratulates Om Birla
PM Modi congratulated Om Birla on being chosen Speaker for the second time. His message also praised Birla’s “sweet smile”.
“I’d like to congratulate you on behalf of the House. It is a big responsibility for you to sit in this position for the second time during the Amrit Kaal. With your experience, we hope you will be our guide for the next five years. “The sweet smile on your face will make the entire House happy,” the Prime Minister stated.
Rahul Gandhi, dressed in a complete white ensemble, also “congratulated” Om Birla on “behalf of the entire INDIA alliance” and for being the “final arbiter of that voice”.
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“I’d want to congratulate you on your successful second election. I’d want to congratulate you on behalf of the entire Opposition and the INDIA Alliance. This House symbolizes the voice of the Indian people, and you are the ultimate arbiter of that voice. The government wields political power, but the opposition also represents the voice of the Indian people, and this time, the opposition represents considerably more of the Indian people than it did the previous time,” the Leader of the Opposition stated.
